Materials (per bench): 3 pair old skis, 36-inch length of 2 x 12, 26-inch length of 2x4, wood stain, 12 3-inch screws, clear caulk to seal the binding holes
We started with Aaron's old skis and a few that were donated by friends. The first step, obviously, is to remove the janky old bindings. Fill the holes with clear tile caulk.
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| Old skis that will ne'er glide down the slopes again. |
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| Underside of the finished bench. |
Cut the 2 x 12 into two 18" panels for the uprights and cut the 2 x 4 into two 13" lengths. Shave off the corners of the 2 x 4s as in the picture above. Paint with wood stain to protect the wood, and let dry.
Screw the horizontal 2 x 4 pieces to the 2 x 12s as shown above.
Screw four skis to the horizontal crossbar. Pre-drill your holes when screwing in the skis. We went with alternating skis and direction-of-tips, but you can design it however you like.
For stability, screw one each of the third pair of skis to the upright bench legs. This is where to use a smaller set of skis, if you have different sizes. As you can see, we had enough old skis for two benches. Here they were right after completion.
How are these benches holding up to the elements?
The red bench lives under a patio roof and is in great shape, three years later:
Unfortunately, the white and black bench was a little bit more exposed, since it sits at the edge of the patio, and apparently the white skis were the least durable. The black skis still look all right, but the white skis are de-laminating.
Since you won't know in advance how well the skis will hold up to sun and water and snow, I'd keep the benches in a more sheltered outdoor area.